NJPW Reveals US "G1 Special" Cards: Tournament Format Changes, 5 Title Matches, Kenny Omega
On July 1 and 2, NJPW will be holding a G1 Special event in Long Beach, California as a prelude to their biggest tournament of the year, G1 Climax. As they expand into the US market, NJPW debuted the IWGP United State Heavyweight Championship and the first champion will be crowned at the G1 Special. Initially, the tournament was said to be round-robin, but it now looks like they are going with a single-elimination, 8-man tournament. The eight participants are: Michael Elgin, Kenny Omega, Jay Lethal, Hangman Page, Juice Robinson, Zack Sabre Jr., Tomohiro Ishii, and Tetsuya Naito.
Here is the full lineup for July 1 and a preliminary lineup for July 2:
July 1
* Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Marty Scurll, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Chaos (Beretta, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Rocky Romero and Will Ospreay)
* Dragon Lee, Jushin Thunder Liger, Titán & Volador Jr. vs. Bushi, Evil, Hiromu Takahashi & Sanada
* Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jay White and Kushida vs. Billy Gunn, Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu and Yos–tatsu
* Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. War Machine (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
* Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin (1st round – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Cody (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)
July 2
* The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship)
* Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn (IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
* Winner of Kenny Omega/Michael Elgin vs. winner of Jay Lethal/Hangman Page (Semifinals – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Winner of Juice Robinson/Zack Sabre Jr. vs. winner of Tetsuya Naito/Tomohiro Ishii (Semifinals – IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament)
* Winner of Semis #1 vs. Winner of Semis #2 (Finals for the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship)
July 1 will air live on AXS TV at 8pm, while the July 2 show will air on AXS TV on Friday, July 7 at 8pm ET, both will have commentary by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett. Both shows will air live on NJPW World, but the July 1 show will be unavailable in the United States until the VOD comes out (exact time is not yet know). It's about $9 to sign up for NJPW World.